The Last Valentine by Misreadingfool
by cheaterscontest
Summary: Valentine's Day: The day of love, passion, and desire for the one that you can't live without. What kind of gifts do you give to your lover? Let's see what one person gives their lover when they have been betrayed one to many times. CheatersContest Entry.


**Title: The Last Valentine**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairing: Kate and Elliot**

 **Genre: Heartache/Drama**

 **Word Count: 3677**

 **Story Summary: Valentine's Day: The day of love, passion, and desire for the one that you can't live without. What kind of gifts do you give to your lover? Let's see what one person gives their lover when they have been betrayed one to many times.**

 **Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.**

*O*o*O*

I sit on the sofa listening to the hushed whispers of my husband. I know who he is talking to, and I know why. There is a pain in my heart, a sour disagreement in my stomach, and my head aches. When your love is betrayed, there is nothing that can make the pain go away. I would have to go to sleep and wake up about three years ago when my husband and I still adored each other. We still loved each other, and our bodies couldn't stay away from each other. Oh, where did those days go? I would do anything to get those moments back.

I have loved him since the first night I saw him. His golden curls and those laughing blue/green eyes were the end of me. When he smiled that crooked, naughty little boy smile at me, I was lost. I fell head over heels in love with Elliot Grey. I didn't care about his bad-boy reputation. Hell, I had a reputation that would make a nun blush, so I couldn't judge his past. We were inseparable. He even followed my family to the Caribbean for a two week vacation. While Ana and Christian were falling in love, breaking up, making up, and getting married, Elliot and I were moving slowly forward. We both were a bit leery of a serious relationship. Neither one of us had the best track record, so we moved slowly. I moved into his apartment, but kept my own where Ana and I started out in Seattle. It was a safety net for me, just in case our love fell apart and I needed a place to land.

Ana and Christian married quickly and before we all knew it, Ana was pregnant. The whole Grey family was ecstatic, even Elliot. I think seeing his little brother married and with a kid on the way was what set Elliot's feet on the marriage path. He had asked me to marry him while we were in Aspen, before we knew Ana was with child, but once her pregnancy was announced, Elliot badgered me for a date. He wanted to run off and get married and tell everyone later, but I nixed that idea. I wanted a wedding and I wanted my Daddy to walk me down the aisle. We were married about a month after Teddy was born and I was pregnant by September.

I thought we were happy. I adore my husband and my children. We have Ava, who is six years old, and Carrick, who is four. We have talked about having a third child, but that's all we have done. I have to "know" my husband biblically before I can get pregnant. Our sex life went south after the birth of our son. I will take half the blame. I will admit that I was exhausted between having a full time job and taking care of children. By the time I went to bed at night, the last thing I wanted to do was have sex. I just wanted to go to sleep. Elliot loves and adores his children, but they are like his playmates. He isn't a parent like Christian or Carrick. He doesn't believe in discipline and lets the children run wild. Our fighting is usually over his lax parenting and letting the children trash the house or be disrespectful to others. He says I am an over-bearing anal bitch who won't let the children have fun. Sad to say, our children are a handful and I know not very welcomed at other people's homes.

My thoughts are interrupted by Elliot leaning over me and giving me a kiss on my cheek. "Sorry, baby, I gotta go." He is gone, out the door before I could protest. I sit on the sofa, feeling absolutely nothing. There is nothing left in me. He has killed every ounce of love that I had for him when I heard our front door close and his pickup truck roar to life. I know exactly where he is going. I know who he is fucking. I also know that this will be the last time he leaves me home alone.

I stand up and blow out the white and red candles that I had decorated the coffee table with. The chocolate truffles that Ana helped me make were left uneaten. The champagne would be dumped out in the morning. There was nothing to celebrate on this Valentine's Day.

I found out about her six months ago. I had the day off from the Seattle Times and decided to surprise my husband with a basket lunch and some middle of the day nookie. I drove to the construction site where I knew he would be working. I slowed down to make the turn into the driveway, when I saw Elliot and a tall, golden blonde bombshell walking together toward a car. They were laughing. I quickly pulled over and just watched with my mouth hanging open. They were kissing each other, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. I got sick in my throat. I couldn't look away as this woman's hands was stroking my husband's cock through his work clothes. I almost drove away, but my inner bitch came to the forefront. I slammed my car in reverse and gunned my car up the driveway. I stopped the car just a few feet away from my cheating husband and his whore, Gia Matteo! I almost laughed to see their shocked faces and how they jumped away from each other. I remember the car-door slamming and Gia falling to the ground. I had decked the bitch! Elliot was in shock then he was raging at me. I started laughing. "Stay away from my husband, slut." I turned on my husband. "And, if I ever find you with this two-bit whore again, I will tear your dick off! Got it?" I could hear myself screaming at Elliot and I could see myself poking his wide, muscular chest to get my point across.

Now, he is with her again. I knew when their little affair started up again. This time, I became a very stealthy investigator. I have more than enough evidence to bury Elliot Grey in divorce proceedings and to ruin Gia Matteo so richly that no one in Seattle, or even the state of Washington, would ever hire her. Let's be honest, name me one woman who would want to hire a whore to decorate her home? I took my time, I made my plans, and let Elliot have his fun. I let his lies stand. I pretended not to see all the evidence that he left behind. He either wants to me to find out, or he is extremely stupid.

Now, my plan was coming together, and in the morning, all will be well. I lock up the house, turn on the security system that my over-cautious brother-in-law insisted be installed. I have to laugh. Christian is more concerned about my safety than my own husband. I climb the steps to the second floor, check on both of the children, and then enter my lonely bedroom. Once in the room, I stop and stare at the king-size bed. I have no idea how many times I have made love to my husband in that bed and I know I will never make love to him again. Our marriage is over. The final straw, the last nail in his coffin was when he left me on Valentine's Day to be with his mistress. I fall on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. He will never come back to this house again.

The next morning I am dressing the children after breakfast and getting ready to take them to school and daycare. I have this down to a science now. I can get two children and myself ready for the day in less than an hour. I'm used to it, Elliot never helped. Actually, he was a hindrance and caused more delays and problems. I have Carrick in my arms and open the door to find two policemen standing on my porch.

"Can I help you?" I asked them. I know my face is showing shock and worry.

"Mrs. Katherine Grey, wife of Elliot Grey?" The taller of the two asks me.

"Yes, I am Katherine Grey. What can I do for you?"

"Ma'am, can we come in?" I nod and step farther back into the house to let them enter. I am confused and bewildered to have them in my home. "Mrs. Grey, is there someone to care for the children? Maybe you could call for some help."

My heart is hammering against my chest. I can see pity and sadness in the eyes of these two officers. "Children, why don't you run upstairs for a few moments while I talk to these nice policemen?"

"Mom…I have to get to school," Ava screeches and stomps her little foot. She acts more and more like her Uncle Christian every day!

"Ava Katherine Grey, upstairs now and I do not want to hear any arguments from you. Take your brother and keep him occupied." I am pointing up the steps and I watch my daughter grudgingly take her brother's hand and lead him up the stairs. She doesn't say a word, but I know what she is thinking. I take a deep breath as I watch my precious little babies. I turn back to the policemen who are gently smiling at me. "I do apologize. I believe I have the only child in Seattle who likes to go to school." I show the uniformed officers into the living room.

"Ma'am, this morning at 06 hundred hours, a Mr. Frederick Stevens reported to work at a Grey Construction site. Do you know Mr. Stevens?"

"Yes, he is one of my husband's foremen," I answer confused as I sit down. Why would they ask me about Fred?

"Mr. Stevens arrived at the site trailer and found Mr. Elliot Grey unconscious. He tried to get Mr. Grey to respond to him, but couldn't. He called 911 and asked for an ambulance. Mrs. Grey, we are sorry to inform you that your husband died before the ambulance could get there."

I am NOT hearing this! No, this can't be true! Elliot cannot be dead. I quickly get to my feet. "No!" I start to walk away. "No, no…no..no!"

"Mrs. Grey, we have to ask…fuck, I hate this." The tall, redheaded officer took off his hat. "Ma'am, did you know that your husband was using drugs?"

"What? Are you crazy? Elliot? No, he does not use drugs," I scream. I can feel my resolve and my natural aggressiveness failing me. My heart is torn apart. I fall to my knees and begin to weep. My children's father, my husband…Grace's beloved son, Christian's best friend, and Ana and Mia's big brother! He can't be gone!

"Mrs. Grey, can we call someone?" I hear one of the officers ask, but I can't answer. I feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest. Every breath that I take hurts and it is a job to pull in enough air. I am having an anxiety attack! I hear the men scrambling around the sofa to get to me. I can't hear them anymore. The blood is pounding in my ears drowning out their voices. All that I can hear is "Elliot is dead!"

I wake up on the sofa with Ana at my side. She is crying. That is all that I hear … tears! I can actually hear tears rolling down the faces of the people I love the most in this world besides my children. I sit up slowly and look about the room. Grace is sitting down with Carrick at her side giving her comfort. Ethan is consoling Mia. Christian is standing behind Ana with his hands gently rubbing her shoulders. I have no one to comfort me. Elliot is not here. Where is he? Why didn't he come home? Then, I remember those two policemen. They came into my home and told the most outrageous story that Elliot had died. I wipe the sleep from eyes and begin to laugh uncontrollably. I laugh and laugh while the family stare at me as if I have lost my mind.

"Kate, Kate?" Ana questions through her tears. "Have you lost it completely?"

"This is just a joke. Just one of Elliot's sick jokes!" I stand up and look about the room. "C'mon Elliot…this isn't funny anymore! You are hurting the people who love you."

"Kate, this isn't a joke." Ana whispers hoarsely. Her face is full of concern for me. She reaches out for me, but I move away. I don't want to be touched.

"He is not dead! He will come home; he always comes home." I look to the sad eyes of my in-laws and Christian. He has been crying also. He slowly shakes his head. "Christian? You don't believe this do you? You know how he is. You know how he likes to pull these thoughtless pranks. This is just a dumb and cruel joke." I feel my heart begin to ache once again. The same ache I felt when I learned about Elliot's affairs. The rest of my heart was torn out of my chest. "He's alive. I know exactly where he is at. He's probably shacked up with Gia again." The gasp I hear comes from Grace. I know she wants to defend her son, but she knows that he is no angel. "This is just like the last time, not coming home, strange hours, and being so cruel and inconsiderate for others." I start for the house phone. "I'll call over there."

"Kate." Ana's voice is strong as is her grip on my wrist. "He's not there, and neither is Gia." She takes the phone from me and places it back on its charger. "Sweetheart, you need to sit down. What I have to tell you is not pleasant."

"Ana, don't," I plead. I don't want to hear anymore. I don't want to know. My head begins to spin and the last thing I remember is Ana's lovely face fading to black.

I don't have many memories of the days that followed. I know my home was cloaked with forlorn and despair. The lid was lifted off the cookie jar so to say. Everyone knew that Elliot had cheated on me once again. It was now public knowledge, circulating around the media since Elliot was the brother of one of the richest men in America and the son-in-law of a powerhouse on the West Coast. However, my father's contacts and influence could not protect me and my children from the other life of my spouse. All of Elliot's chickens came home to roost. Stories of other women, all night drinking binges, and suspect business practices were whispered in the homes of those who read the paparazzi press. I was embarrassed and did not want to remain in the house that I shared with a man who had betrayed me on so many levels. The children and I moved out, and I asked Elliot's father to sell the house and give the money to charity. I did not want it or need it.

After the funeral, I decided it was time to leave Seattle. I was offered a very generous job opportunity in California. I took it, even though I knew my leaving with the children would be hard on the Grey Family. I had to leave Seattle. I had to get out of Washington and I needed peace in my life and in the lives of my children. Promises were made to Grace and Carrick that the children would spend one month every summer with them, and Ana and I made plans to meet every month in San Francisco. My life would go on as a widow, a mom, and the new VP and Daily Manager of Channel 8 television out of Palm Springs, California. My Dad helped me to find a lovely four bedroom hacienda style home in a very secure neighborhood. Christian even flew down to make sure that the home had the latest and best security measures that money could buy. He had to make sure that the children and I are safe. He still insists that we all have a CPO and that all employees must go through a background check, even down to the teachers and staff at the private school that he insisted that they attend. I know he is just stepping in and taking care of his brother's children, so I do not take offense by his methods or his need to keep us safe.

A year passed quickly. Valentine's Day and the first year anniversary of Elliot's death arrived. I stayed home that day and walked about my home. It is my home with the children. Elliot had never stepped foot in here. This is all mine! I go into my home office and sit at the desk. I know what I am to do. This has been prearranged. These plans have been implemented and have come to fruition. I open the deep bottom drawer of my desk and take out the fake floor. In the hidden compartment is a cellphone. It is one of those burner phones. I switch it on and wait. Today, all debts will be paid!

I nearly jump out of my skin when the phone rings. I let it ring five more times before I answer. I don't have to say anything, I just listen to instructions.

 _It has been one year, Mrs. Grey. As prearranged, we are now in contact and it is time for reckoning. I am assuming that you are prepared and ready to close this transaction. Now, as discussed in our first conversation, the laptop sent to you this week should be turned on and ready to use. Please transfer the agreed amount from the off-shore account to the Swiss Account Number on the paper that arrived with the laptop. After you have transferred the agreed amount, you will click onto the skull app to finish the transaction. It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Goodbye and good luck in your new life. You will not hear from me again._

The line went dead. I took a deep breath and began the task at hand. Money was transferred in moments. Just a few seconds and my freedom was paid for. I was free. I close down the program and clicked on the skull. The laptop monitor turned black and a laughing skull turned around and around. It disappeared with a flash then a message popped up on the monitor.

" **This device will implode and will be unusable. All information will be wiped clean and/or fried for our and your protection. After the device turns off, place it in the supplied box and leave on the corner of your driveway. It will be disposed of properly."**

Again, the message disappeared and a graphic of an atomic bomb detonating was shown then a countdown began. I heard a small pop and the laptop was dead. Nothing! I did what I was told and left the box at the end of my driveway. I returned to my home and sat in the living room. My new life is here in Palm Springs with my children, butmy old life in Seattle still haunts me. I still see Elliot in his coffin. His handsome face swollen from cocaine use. I still hear Grace's sobs of a heartache that only a mother can understand at the loss of a child. I still hear Elliot's laughter when he teased Ana and made her blush, and I still hear the whispers in the dark of people talking about his affair with Gia Matteo. I can still see the photos that some damn "Pap" took of me being supported by Christian and Carrick leaving the police station after being questioned by the police. Yes, there was an investigation after the authorities learned that my beloved husband was cheating on me with Gia Matteo, especially after Ms. Matteo was found dead in her apartment that was full of every shade of rose available, all from my husband. He had sent her flowers for Valentine's Day, not knowing that she was deathly allergic. She asphyxiated quickly when locked in her bedroom with all those deadly flowers. I was questioned for about an hour before the authorities decided that I had nothing to do with the death of Ms. Matteo. Her death was ruled an accident. She was killed by the overzealous attempt of her lover to show his desires for her. Elliot's death was ruled as the overdose of an adulterer who lived on the edge. His financial records show how much he spent on his extramarital endeavors. I was beyond shocked, horrified, and embarrassed. My loving husband was a very good actor who he had me fooled completely. I had no idea that he even dabbled in drugs. Such a waste. Elliot had good points. He was a good contractor. He knew his business, he just didn't know how to keep his penis in his pants and his nose out of smack!

The clock is striking the hour. The children will be home from school soon. I promised them that we would go out for Valentine's Day and get a heart-shaped pizza. I will not get a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, or flowers from a lover. I have no lover. I don't want a lover. I just want to live as long as possible to watch my children grow up. You see, Elliot gave me one last Valentine. He gave me AIDS.

I will admit it. I had my husband and his bitch whore killed. They killed me first!

*O*o*O*

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